What is a GreenSmart Home

What is a GreenSmart home?

GreenSmart accredited homes aim to showcase environmentally responsible housing design.

These homes:

• Demonstrate improved energy, resource and water efficiency.
• Enable home owners to waste less and recycle more.
• Reduce the waste from the building process.
• Create healthier homes for occupants.
• Improve site management during construction.
• Designing and building or renovating a home using GreenSmart principles has long-term benefits such as lower energy and water bills, a warmer house in winter, a cooler house in summer, increased resource efficiency, a healthier home, and less waste going to landfill.

What makes a Architectural Eco Home a GreenSmart home?

Architectural Eco Homes are built the GreenSmart way which incorporates the following 5 key elements; orientation, insulation, thermal mass, ventilation, and flooring. As each of our Designer Eco Homes is customized to your individual block we are better able to optimize these key elements.

Orientation

Orientation refers to the correct placement of the building on your block to allow sun penetration in winter and to minimise this in summer. This is also known as passive solar design. The best design provides enough room to place a house with the living areas facing North.

Insulation

Orientation refers to the correct placement of the building on your block to allow sun penetration in winter and to minimise this in summer. This is also known as passive solar design. The best design provides enough room to place a house with the living areas facing North.

Thermal Mass

Thermal mass refers to the ability of a material to absorb heat energy. High density materials such as concrete, rammed earth, bricks and tiles have a high thermal mass, which allows them to absorb heat, unlike timber which has a low thermal mass.

Ventilation

Ventilation is the movement of air through and around the home. Ventilation can be achieved using both mechanical and natural methods. Mechanical methods include ceiling fans and externally ducted exhaust fans. Natural methods include the location and orientation of openings (doors and windows) to allow the flow of air across the rooms.

Flooring

The choice of flooring can contribute to your home's thermal performance, i.e. how thermal mass is utilised in the home.